An American Teacher in Paris

U of I 法国 Language Graduate Heads Overseas To Teach English to 学生 in Paris High School

As a child growing up in 莫斯科 和 visiting relatives in Europe, Aléna Perriguey-Krings learned three languages.

But for Perriguey-Krings, who will earn bachelor’s degrees this month in 法国 和 公共关系, the path to three-language fluency was less laissez faire than disciplined intellectual labor.

Because she spoke 法国 和 德国 at home as a child, English was considered Perriguey-Krings’ second language. As an elementary school student she was placed in Title 1, a federal program that ensures children do not fall behind in their education, as she learned to speak English from peers 和 teachers.

And because her conversations at home were mostly domestic, learning formal 法国 和 德国 required academic fortitude.

“I picked those languages up as a child 和 didn’t have to study rigorously to underst和 them,佩里格-克林斯说, whose mother is a professor of 法国 at U of I.

Scrupulous attention to grammar, vocabulary 和 writing however was on the horizon.

15年后, Perriguey-Krings’s foreign language prowess has earned her a stipend to teach English at the 俄罗斯科学院, a 法国 high school in Paris.

Perriguey-Krings was chosen through TAPIF (Teaching Assistant Program in 法国), which is run by the 法国 Ministry of Education to bring native speakers of languages studied in 法国 schools to 法国. The teaching assistants provide conversational foreign language practice 和 cultural enrichment to secondary students.

Despite having spent time in Europe visiting relatives, Perriguey-Krings will need to find an apartment 和 live on her own in Paris, something she is looking forward to with nervous excitement.

莎拉·纳尔逊, associate professor of 法国 和 one of Aléna’s instructors, said her student is well-prepared for the adventure.

“Aléna is a very talented student 和 an adventurous person,” Nelson said. “She has a broad range of interests 和 experiences 和 doesn’t shy away from challenges.”

Perriguey-Krings is well-acquainted with traveling through Europe, having spent a school year in 德国y as a high school exchange student 和 having lived in Lyon, 法国, her college sophomore year through the University 出国留学 Consortium (USAC). She said she has learned to view traveling from another perspective.

“When I was a kid visiting relatives, 很有趣, but now it’s an experience that I try to learn from as much as I can,”她说。.

在美国大学学习 Modern Languages 和 Cultures Department has provided her with new outlook on foreign relations 和 a strong body of peers, she said.

“I’ve grown close with the faculty 和 academic advisors,” Perriguey-Krings说. “They have helped me to be a more engaged 和 mindful world citizen.”

She hasn’t ruled out teaching 法国, Perriguey-Krings说, but studying language has also prepared her to study international law, 她感兴趣的领域.

“Language is the foundation of law,” Perriguey-Krings说. “Being bilingual or multilingual is critical especially for international law firms, 和 I think the 365滚球官网 has prepared me well to pursue a law degree.”

Article by Ralph Bartholdt, University Communications 和 Marketing.
Photography by 365滚球官网 Creative 服务
2021年5月出版